PlainSpending

California Federal Spending

$485.6B in FY2025 - a heavy absolute book (rank #1 of 56).

$485.6B total · $12,283 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #1 total, #40 per capita · 21.4% below national avg

In FY2025, California received $485.6B in federal spending - $12,283 per capita, ranking #40 among 56 states and 21.4% below the national average. The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 45.3% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Department of Health and Human Services.

California · FY2025

California received $485.6B in federal spending in FY2025 - $12,283 per resident, 21.4% below the national average, with contracts the largest award category.

Total federal spending
$485.6B
#1 of 56 states
Per resident
$12,283
#40 per capita
Latest annual change
+$40.7B
FY2024 to FY2025 (+9.2%)
Top agency
Dept. of Health and Human Services
$175.9B

Heavy absolute federal book

California sits #1 of 56 states by total federal spending ($485.6B).

According to USASpending.gov, the federal government directed a dense absolute book of $485.6B to California in FY2025 ($12,283 per resident across 39,538,223 people). Total-dollar rank #1 marks a heavy absolute footprint; per-capita rank is #40 (21.4% below the $15,622 national average).

Low per-resident intensity still shows a full award-count mix: 305,368 contracts, 39,718 grants, 242,792 loans, and 78,305 direct payments. The most common award type is contracts at 45.3% of tracked awards in the state, with loans a distant second at 242,792 awards. Department of Health and Human Services is the single largest federal agency operating in California, with $175.9B in obligations - more than Social Security Administration's $157.5B.

Over the available history, federal spending in California has grown 4.8% from $463.4B in FY2020 to $485.6B in FY2025 - from a below-average intensity baseline. Combined with 58 counties and top recipient Health Care Services, California Department Of at $112.5B, the trail shows whether the light intensity is closing the gap.

Figures are award-transaction data from USASpending.gov (U.S. Department of the Treasury). See our methodology for per-capita denominators and award categories.

Source: USAspending.gov, Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) + System for Award Management (SAM) California federal awards (contracts, grants, loans, direct payments) for FY2025 · 2025 USAspending.gov publishes award-level data within ~30 days of obligation; categories follow OMB Object Class Codes. Per-capita metrics use Census ACS population estimates as the denominator.

Where this large absolute book sits

Total Spending

$485.6B

Rank #1

Per Capita

$12,283

Rank #40

Population

39,538,223

Contract Awards

305,368

Grant Awards

39,718

Total Federal Spending

$485.6B

FY2025 obligations

Per Capita

$12,283

Rank #40

Counties Receiving

58

federal dollars

Top Agency Share

$175.9B

Department of Health and Human

California award-type mix by count (FY2025)

Awards45.3%36%11.6%ContractsLoansDirect PaymentsGrantsOther
Per-state share of tracked federal awards BY COUNT across major OMB-aligned award types (not a dollar-value breakdown). Mandatory-vs-discretionary marker reflects the entitlement-vs-appropriated split.
California per-capita federal spending vs. national average 65.5%
National average

Compared against the national average of $15,622 per resident.

Awards by Type

Contracts is the most common award type at 45.3% of tracked awards in California (by count, not dollar value).

Contracts 305,368 awards (45.3%)
Loans 242,792 awards (36.0%)
Direct Payments 78,305 awards (11.6%)
Grants 39,718 awards (5.9%)
Other 7,772 awards (1.2%)

Comparison to National Average

Metric California National Avg Difference
Per Capita Spending $12,283 $15,622 -21.4%
Contracts Share 0.0% - -
Grants Share 0.0% - -

Fiscal Resilience Score

A single derived score summarizing how diversified and stable California's federal funding mix is, built from four signals already in this page.

C+
Fiscal Resilience Score
61/100
California

A transparent derived index from USASpending.gov federal award data, not an official government rating. It measures how diversified and stable California's federal funding mix is across award types, agencies, and fiscal years, not whether that funding is well or poorly spent. Full formula and benchmark table: methodology.

Award-Type Mix B-
65%
Diversification across contract/grant/loan/direct-payment/other award counts
Agency Mix C-
73%
Diversification of obligated dollars across federal agencies operating in-state
Per-Capita Norm C-
21% from avg
Distance of per-resident federal spending from the national average
Funding Stability B
6.8% CV
Year-over-year spending volatility across 6 fiscal years

Top Federal Agencies in California

Federal agencies ranked by total spending in California during FY2025.

# Agency Spending % of Total
1 Department of Health and Human Services $175.9B 36.2%
2 Social Security Administration $157.5B 32.4%
3 Department of Defense $39.9B 8.2%
4 Department of Veterans Affairs $21.9B 4.5%
5 Department of Agriculture $21.5B 4.4%
6 Department of Education $11.3B 2.3%
7 Department of Housing and Urban Development $10.1B 2.1%
8 Department of Transportation $9.4B 1.9%
9 Department of Energy $9.0B 1.9%
10 Department of Homeland Security $9.0B 1.9%

Top Recipients in California

Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in California.

# Recipient Total Awards
1 Health Care Services, California Department Of $112.5B
2 Department of Social Services California $21.1B
3 Department of Education California $7.5B
4 Department of Transportation California $6.3B
5 Office of Emergency Services $6.2B
6 Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC $3.6B
7 Qtc Medical Services INC $2.8B
8 California Institute of Technology $2.3B
9 The Boeing Company $2.3B
10 California Public Utilities Commission $2.1B
11 Space Exploration Technologies CORP. $2.1B
12 Raytheon Company $1.8B
13 Public Health, California Department Of $1.8B
14 Ecc Constructors LLC $1.7B

Spending Trends

The latest annual comparison is +$40.7B (+9.2%) from FY2024 to FY2025; this is a difference in recorded award obligations, not a claim about cause or local benefit. Federal spending in California increased 4.8% from FY2020 to FY2025.

$400B$420B$440B$460B$480B$500B$520B FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025 $486B
Fiscal Year Total Spending Per Capita Population
FY2025 $485.6B $12,283 39,538,223
FY2024 $444.9B $11,252 39,538,223
FY2023 $424.1B $10,728 39,538,223
FY2022 $425.3B $10,757 39,538,223
FY2021 $510.4B $12,908 39,538,223
FY2020 $463.4B $11,721 39,538,223

Counties in California

58 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.

# County Total Spending Per Capita Population
1 Los Angeles County $80.1B $7,997 10,014,009
2 Alameda County $42.5B $25,252 1,682,353
3 San Diego County $35.4B $10,723 3,298,634
4 Sacramento County $23.4B $14,781 1,585,055
5 Orange County $23.4B $7,341 3,186,989
6 Riverside County $14.8B $6,140 2,418,185
7 Santa Clara County $13.6B $7,000 1,936,259
8 San Bernardino County $12.6B $5,778 2,181,654
9 San Francisco County $8.5B $9,698 873,965
10 Contra Costa County $7.2B $6,139 1,165,927
11 Ventura County $6.0B $7,141 843,843
12 Kern County $5.9B $6,502 909,235
13 Fresno County $5.0B $4,949 1,008,654
14 San Mateo County $4.4B $5,783 764,442
15 San Joaquin County $4.4B $5,595 779,233
16 Sonoma County $3.5B $7,082 488,863
17 Santa Barbara County $3.4B $7,625 448,229
18 Solano County $3.4B $7,432 453,491
19 Monterey County $3.1B $7,081 439,035
20 Stanislaus County $2.9B $5,257 552,878
21 Placer County $2.8B $6,929 404,739
22 Tulare County $2.5B $5,190 473,117
23 Marin County $2.4B $9,078 262,321
24 San Luis Obispo County $2.2B $7,858 282,424
25 Santa Cruz County $2.0B $7,269 270,861
26 Imperial County $1.8B $9,988 179,702
27 Merced County $1.7B $5,878 281,202
28 Shasta County $1.5B $8,377 182,155
29 Butte County $1.5B $7,035 211,632
30 El Dorado County $1.5B $7,746 191,185
31 Yolo County $1.4B $6,412 216,403
32 Humboldt County $1.2B $9,072 136,463
33 Napa County $925.7M $6,707 138,019
34 Madera County $902.3M $5,775 156,255
35 Nevada County $870.0M $8,509 102,241
36 Mendocino County $827.5M $9,034 91,601
37 Kings County $821.6M $5,388 152,486
38 Yuba County $728.7M $8,933 81,575
39 Sutter County $618.8M $6,211 99,633
40 Lake County $508.9M $7,466 68,163
41 Tuolumne County $468.1M $8,416 55,620
42 Tehama County $450.9M $6,850 65,829
43 Siskiyou County $421.4M $9,561 44,076
44 Calaveras County $418.1M $9,231 45,292
45 Mariposa County $412.8M $24,096 17,131
46 San Benito County $383.6M $5,974 64,209
47 Amador County $350.0M $8,649 40,474
48 Del Norte County $296.6M $10,691 27,743
49 Inyo County $272.9M $14,349 19,016
50 Lassen County $241.3M $7,373 32,730
51 Plumas County $219.9M $11,113 19,790
52 Trinity County $200.1M $12,419 16,112
53 Glenn County $190.2M $6,579 28,917
54 Colusa County $133.7M $6,124 21,839
55 Mono County $100.5M $7,615 13,195
56 Modoc County $85.7M $9,848 8,700
57 Sierra County $26.1M $8,057 3,236
58 Alpine County $8.7M $7,229 1,204
DOGE impact for California → Per-capita rankings → Why spending varies by state →

States With Similar Per Capita Spending

States with per capita federal spending closest to California's $12,283.

New Hampshire

$12,356 per capita

$17.0B total

Delaware

$12,366 per capita

$12.2B total

North Carolina

$12,400 per capita

$129.4B total

Idaho

$12,406 per capita

$22.8B total

Colorado

$12,155 per capita

$70.2B total

Compare California to another state side-by-side →

States with similar total federal spending

Nearest nationwide peers by total obligation volume ($485.6B here) - a different axis from the per-capita neighbors above.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much federal spending did California receive in FY2025?

California received a heavy absolute book of $485.6B in FY2025 ($12,283 per capita; population 39,538,223).

What is the largest category of federal spending in California?

The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 305,368 awards (45.3% of tracked awards). The second-largest is loans at 242,792 awards.

How has federal spending in California changed over time?

Federal spending in California increased by 4.8% from FY2020 ($463.4B) to FY2025 ($485.6B).

How does California's federal spending per capita compare to the national average?

California's $12,283 runs 21.4% below the $15,622 national average (rank #40 of 56).

Where does California rank nationally in federal spending?

California ranks #40 of 56 on per-capita intensity ($12,283 - a light band) and #1 on absolute volume ($485.6B) in FY2025.

Which federal agencies spend the most in California?

The top federal agency spending in California is Department of Health and Human Services with $175.9B. Followed by Social Security Administration ($157.5B) and Department of Defense ($39.9B).

How many counties in California receive federal spending?

58 counties in California receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is Los Angeles County with $80.1B.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and presented.

Verify with USASpending.gov → Verify population with U.S. Census Bureau →